Important! Opinions regarding HWBoints algorithm revision

Dear HWBot users and overclocking enthousiasts,

This newspost is to inform you, or better: inquire you, to have you share your opinion with the HWBot staff about a complicated issue regarding the HWBoints. This particular discussion could have a big effect on how points are awarded and, thus, how people are ranked as well as how your team is ranked. We would really appreciate if you could voice your opinion so that HWBot can have a better view on what people would like to happen. The issue concerns splitting up the videocard rankings based on number of used sockets instead of number of GPUs.

Underneath a summation of the discussion within HWBot.

1. What is the problem?

Over the years HWBot has had to make a great amount of decisions regarding the HWBoints and how to rate overclockers. The system as it is now works quite good and, although there are still flaws present, does give a good estimation of how ‘good’ a score is overall and within a certain category. One of the more important decisions we had to take was whether we split up the videocard sections based on PCI-Express slots or actual GPUs. Although it’s only a one-word difference, it has had quite a large effect on the rankings and, as we figured out just a few weeks ago, also on how people spend money.

First of all, let me refresh the HWBot principles:

Overclocking competition should be open to as much people as possible

A ranking on HWBot should be largely about skill, not purely about money.

So, a couple of weeks ago, we decided to check what videocards were most popular and how much different users have used what type of graphics card to submit at least ONE result. Underneath is a list with the number of submissions since 01-01-09:

As you can see, the amount of X2’s and GTX295 used for HWBOT is enormeous. The total amount of different users per graphics card, since 01-01-09, is displayed underneath:

What we see is that to score high at HWbot you’ll need to invest in very expensive video cards. Next to that, there’s the problem of the single-gpu extreme overclocking. Although it takes up quite a lot of money and quite a bit of modifications to have a current-gen single GPU card to run at very high clock frequencies, it is very little rewarding in terms of global points. In fact, if you go through the submissions at HWbot, you will notice that it’s possible to beat 1.2GHz single GPU’s with a stock cooled dual-gpu (GTX295 or X2) card.

So, to sum up:

HWbot global points are dominated by dual-gpu cards

Single GPU extreme overclocks are beaten by stock cooled dual-gpu.

Dual-GPU costs much more

Overclockers league is based on global points mainly

Overclockers league should be about skill, not money

Conclusion:

As the Overclockers League is about global points, people who want to increase their ranking have to overclock high-end hardware. As dual-gpu cards are faster on stock cooling than extreme overclocked single-gpu cards, simply buying the expensive videocard will give you an edge over anyone who pushes the single-gpu to the limit. So HWbot single video card ranking is ruled by dual-GPU cards, which grab all the points.

This is, however, not compatible with our main principles.

2. Possible actions

1. Change from single card to single GPU

Single-GPU and multi-GPU ranking; all dual-GPU cards will go into the multi-GPU ranking

In simple english: GTX295 and 4870X2 will move from single category to multi category. Single category will only contain cards like GTX285, GTX260, GTX275, HD4890, HD4870 and HD5870.

PRO: To be in the top of the single gpu rankings, you need to really push VGAs

PRO: No more 500$ investments needed to get ‘easy’ global points

In this case ‘easy’ stands for ‘plug and hwboint’ cards. The idea is really simple: instead of just plugging a dual gpu card, which is faster than any single gpu card by quite a margin, you will have to put more effort in overclocking and tweaking the single gpu videocard.

PRO: More than one card can be used to grab global points

When you go through the single GPU categories, you notice that lower end cards can actually ‘compete’ in the more high-end single gpu categories. As an example, we have compiled a table of how well a card could perform in the most popular high-end single GPU category of this moment, the HD4890.

The results are based on the TOP 3DMark03 score; the numbers indicate the place of that TOP score in the 4890 ranking. We can see that other VGA cards than the most high-end single gpu cards can compete.

This is the BIGGEST issue in regards to the change and the points of some people would drop significantly. Note, however, that the drop in points is in fact not that uncommon or artificial. When a new series of graphics cards is released, you will start losing points anywho (as people will submit with the new cards).